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July 4, 2018

French arms exports halved in 2017 as Rafale sales dried up

French weaponry exports fell sharply last year in the absence of major
deals to sell new Rafale fighter jets, with Middle Eastern clients again
making up the bulk of the orders, the French defence ministry said on
Monday.

In its annual report to parliament, the ministry said the
value of exports dropped to 6.9 billion euros ($8 billion) from 14
billion euros the previous year and the record 17 billion euros booked
in 2015.

Those two years saw the first big export orders for
Rafale jets made by Dassault Aviation—to Egypt, Qatar and
India—following a string of failed efforts to sell the planes outside
France.

But France, the world's third-biggest arms exporter after
the US and Russia, will book an additional 12 Rafale sales to Qatar
this year.

"The results from 2017, with 6.9 billion euros, are in
line with the average from years before the Rafale contracts," the
ministry said.

It added that helicopters and missiles made up nearly half of last year's foreign orders.

NGOs
and other critics have assailed France for supplying weapons to middle
eastern governments, in particular Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates over their support for pro-government forces in Yemen fighting
Houthi rebels.

Big bets remain on India ::

The Rafale
continues to remain among the most high-profile weapon systems offered
by France for export in addition to helicopters, surface warships and
submarines. It is expected to be the sole fighter aircraft in French
service in the coming years as older 'Mirage' variants retire; however,
despite its advanced technology, the Rafale has had a mixed record in
winning export sales compared with previous generations of French
fighters.

A much-touted deal by India to buy 126 Rafales was axed
by the Narendra Modi government in 2015 after years of negotiation,
with India settling for a smaller, outright purchase of 36 Rafales.
Dassault has again offered the Rafale to the Indian Air Force for a new
contract to buy 110 fighters and is also bidding for a separate Indian
Navy contract for 57 fighters.